Catholic school division needs host families for international students

“We’re looking for the families that honestly can give them a Canadian experience and that doesn’t mean spending a ton of money taking them all over the countryside. It could be the simple things of teaching our life little cultures here,” says Sasha Campbell, international education assistant. “Maybe going sledding or skating or going for bike rides or hiking, you know simple things, playing a board game. All that kind of thing. Some of these countries don’t even experience Christmas, they don’t celebrate Christmas so to have a Canadian Christmas is another big thing around here.”

She says host families don’t have to have kids of their own and she’s looking for families that will treat the student as one of their own kids, helping with homework and other typical teenage concerns.

Students will be arriving from countries around the world, including Germany, Brazil, Mexico and Japan.

Campbell says you can be a homestay family for a semester or the full school year, and families are paid $800 per month to help cover costs.

She has a student with her now, continuing something her parents did when she was younger. Being a homestay family has the opportunity to create a bond that could last a lifetime, she says.

“You could really build that relationship where you could be there for years on end. I personally have had one for 24 years. My family and I talk every week and it’s been 24 years since they’ve been here.”

She adds they need 10 families right now but will likely need even more in the future as students register for the program.

Find more information on the Catholic division’s website.

by Chris Brown

Catholic school division needs host families for international students

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